Japan: New automobile sales rise 93.7% in April

Jiji Press - New automobile sales in Japan rose 93.7 percent to 359,631 units in April from a year earlier, up for the seventh consecutive month, industry data showed Tuesday.

Sales of new cars, trucks and buses rebounded from a sharp plunge in April 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami briefly halted domestic automobile production. However, the latest sales figure was only a 2 percent increase from April 2010, and was "not a great improvement," said one Japan Automobile Dealers Association official.

Sales of minivehicles with engine displacements of up to 660cc grew 96 percent to 150,654 units. Sales of larger vehicles increased 92 percent to 208,977 units.

By maker, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Daihatsu Motor Co. saw their sales more than double, while sales for Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. inched up 1.4 percent.

By contrast, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. was the only major automaker to see its sales decrease, falling 9 percent from the previous year.